University
by leap324
Summary: AU summary inside. WestClaire
1. Meeting

**AN:** This is a new story I'm starting; it's based on a dream I had last night. This I my first, real Heroes story (I've only written a one-shot before) so I hope you all like it. This fic takes place in the future and doesn't really go with the main plot of the show so just go with it, ok? This is a Claire/West fic and will include some other characters of my own creation.

Chapter 1 – Meetings 

Claire Bennett walked into Duke for the first time on a cool August morning.. It felt good to be starting new, away from her father. She needed to do this. Ever since her father had moved her a few years ago, her life hadn't exactly been a fairytale. But now was the time to change all that.

She drove further into the campus, using her map to find her dorm, Murphy Hall, south on the campus. She drove passed the Powell Library and around the Dickson court, before finally seeing her dorm before her. Claire grinned and made her way towards the large building.

_Room 206_, she thought to herself, lugging a few boxes out of her silver Mazda. She picked a few up and began carrying them up the stairs to the second floor. She reached her room, only to find the door already opened. She walked inside and saw a short redheaded girl with emerald green eyes on the other side of the room, putting sheets on her bed. The girl looked up as Claire walked in.

"Hi, I'm Lily Taylor," she said, walking over and extending a hand.

"Claire Bennett," Claire responded, laying down her box and grasping the hand. "I guess you're my new roommate."

"Looks that way doesn't it?" she smiled. "Do you need any help with your bags?"

"That would be great," Claire responded. The small girl nodded and followed Claire out the door to her car.

"So, are you a sophomore?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, you?" Claire asked. Lily nodded her head. "What classes are you taking?"

"Human Genetics, Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, Calculus, English, Italian and Anthropology (I know that's way too may courses for one year in university, and you most likely can't take all of them when you're a sophomore but for the purpose of my story…)," Lily replied. "You?"

"Human Genetics, English, Italian, Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, Psychology and Global Studies. Looks like we're in some of the same classes."

"Ye… jeez, Claire, what do you have in these boxes?" Lily exclaimed, lifting a particularly heavy box out of the back of the car.

"I don't know," Claire laughed. "That's probably the one with the mini fridge in it."

"You brought a mini fridge?"

"Yeah, is that ok?"

"More than ok. Now we can have cold drinks in our room. I was in this dorm last year and my roommate didn't have one. And trust me, drinking a can of Pepsi that's been sitting on a dresser of a day and a half, does not taste good."

"Good to know. I'll just grab a box and we'll head back up." Claire took a large box out of the back seat and they headed back upstairs.

"So," Lily said six hours later as they were siting on the couch she had brought, listening to music, all the unpacking done, "tell me about you're family. It's the only thing we haven't covered yet."

"Well," Claire said, wondering what she could say, " I've got a mom and a dad and a younger brother, Lyle. I grew up in Texas but my family started moving around while I was in high school so I never had many friends. And I'm adopted. What about you?" _Where did the adopted come from?_ Claire thought.

"Well, my father abandoned my mother and I when I was a few months old so I never really knew him. It's just been my mom and I ever since. I grew up in Cali and have lived here my whole life," Lily answered, an odd look on her face, but quickly whipped it away. "Have you ever met your birth parents?"

Claire hesitated before answering, thinking about how much she had already told her and if she really wanted to discuss it.

"You don't have to tell me," Lily said. "I mean you've known me for what, a day? That's cool. I wouldn't want to tell me either. You want to go walk around campus? I can show you around."

"Sure," Claire said, getting off the couch and switching off the stereo, glad she was saved from figuring out what to say.

The two friends walked down the stairs and out into the sunshine. They walked around campus all afternoon and decided to go out to a restaurant for dinner. They went back to the dorm and changed into something slightly more formal before going out to a nice restaurant a few blocks from the campus.

"That was so much fun!" Claire giggled as she and Lily reentered the dorm later that night. "I haven't laughed so had since… well it's been a while." Claire said, West flashing in her mind momentarily.

"Did you see those two guys? They were totally staring at us," Lily giggled as she collapsed on the couch.

"I know. And that random guy on the street who whistled at you! He was cute."

"Yeah, in a stalkerish way. He followed us for two blocks!" she giggled again.

"True, very true."

Both girls giggled and talked for the next hour before realizing the time and deciding to call it a night. They went to bed that night, tired by the night's events, not knowing what the next day would bring.

**AN:** Hey! Well that's the end of chapter one and just so you know, this story has nothing to do with my one-shot. Please review! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update.


	2. Seeing Him Again

**AN:** Hey guys! I want to thank those who sent in reviews. And yes guys, this one will have West.

Chapter 2 – Seeing Him Again 

The next day Claire and Lily rose to the sound of their alarm. Lily groaned and hit the clock to stop the beeping noise. She glanced at the clock, 6:30am. She rolled out of bed and walked to her closet, picking out her clothes for the day.

"What time is it?" Claire mumbled from under the covers of her bed.

"Six-thirty. I'm going to take a shower. You can sleep for a little bit and I'll get you up when I get back, if you want. Our first class starts at nine and we've got to get in the breakfast line."

"Nah, I'll get up now," Claire said, pushing back the covers. "And don't worry about breakfast. I brought some cereal and there's milk in the fridge."

"Claire, I love you! Do you know how ling those lines were last year? Thanks!" she said, running over to hug Claire before walking out of the room into the bathroom across the hall.

Claire just stood there in shock. When was the last time she had had a hug from a friend? Claire smiled to herself, thinking she finally had a real friend and went to pick out her clothes for the day.

An hour and a half later both of them were sitting in the student union, talking about what to expect in their first class, Human Genetics.

"I think today will probably just be an introduction, you know a course description," Lily said.

"Yeah. So what kind of people go here? I mean, do you know anyone really well or anything?" Claire asked.

"Well, not really. I didn't have many friends last year. There was just this one guy I was friends with," Lily said, shrugging and sipping her latte.

"Oooh, a guy," Claire said. "Is he cute? Did you date him?" she said eagerly. Lily laughed at her.

"Yeah, I guess he's cute but I don't like him that way. No, we're just friends, kind of a brother-sister relationship. He's really nice though. I'll have to introduce you," she said, winking in her direction. They both giggled. "Hey, look at the time! We'd better get going." They grabbed their bags and walked out of the building.

At eight-forty-five the girls entered the lecture hall and took seats in the first row.

"Hey, dork," said a voice from behind the girls. Lily smiled and turned as Claire froze in her seat. She knew that voice. I was a voice she had constantly heard in her head and dreamed for the last three years.

"Claire, Claire are you ok?" Lily asked, waving her hand in front of her friend's face. Claire heard the person behind then stiffen in his seat.

"And what's up with you?" Lily said, turning in her seat to face her other friend. "Can one of you please tell me what is going on?" she said impatiently. Claire looked at Lily before slowly turning in her seat.

"West?"

"Claire?"

**Now I could be mean and end it here, not only giving you a short chapter but a cliffhanger. However…**

They stared at each other in shock.

"You two know each other?" Lily asked, completely bewildered.

"I can't believe this," Claire said. "What…?"

"How did you end up here? Where have you been?" West asked, his face lighting up in a grin. "I can't believe you're here. I haven't seen you in so long!" he said, getting out of his seat and walking down to hug her. Lily sat and watched, an amused expression on her face, as Claire smiled when West hugged her.

"I thought I'd never see you again. What…"

"Settle down, class. Let's begin, shall we. In this course…" the teacher began as the class took their seats. West took one last look at Claire before walking back up to his seat. Lily looked over to her and mouthed 'talk, later', before taking out her laptop and beginning to take notes. Claire did the same, smiling to herself during class at the thought of West being in the same school as her. Maybe her life really was turning around.

At the end of class, West walked over to Claire and Lily.

"Hey, fellow aliens. Want to get a coffee?" Claire smiled, looking up from her bag. He hadn't changed a bit.

"Sure," she said. Lily nodded.

"Then, this way, ladies," he said, gesturing with his hand toward the door. Lily rolled her eyes and Claire hid a smiled as they walked out of the hall. West's eyes followed her all the way out the door.

"So, Claire, how've you been?" West asked as they sat in the outdoor courtyard next to the coffee cart.

"Ok, I guess. It wasn't great after my dad took me away, but I've been fine. What about you?"

"Well after they came looking for you and you left, I went looking for you but it was like you were wiped off the face of the planet. I've been good, though, you know. I met another alien, as you can see," he said looking at Lily. She smiled at him.

"So you're an alien, too?" she said, looking at Claire. "This is the other girl you were talking about?"

"Yeah," West said, giving Claire a sideways glance.

"Why do I feel like I'm missing something?" Claire asked the pair.

"Well, It looks like Claire and I have a lot to talk about," Lily said, looking past Claire and standing up quickly.

"What-"

"Hey, sweetie!" a voice yelled from behind. A young brunette walked over to the table and stood next to West.

"Who's this?" she asked, looking at Claire.

"I'm Claire," she said. "And you are…?"

"Jane, West's girlfriend."

**AN:** I bet you guys weren't expecting that! And don't bite my head off just yet, there's more to come. And remember, this is a West/Claire fic. I know this was a quick update but most of the updates will be far, few and in between. Please review!


	3. A Talk With Lily

AN: So I know I haven't update in forever but better late than never right

**AN:** So I know I haven't update in forever but better late than never right? Anyway, here's the next long awaited chapter:

**A Talk with Lily**

Claire was shocked. West had a girlfriend? No. He couldn't. She hadn't waited this long, thought about him this long, only to find he had a girlfriend. She hadn't dated anyone since him, well not really. A few dates that all ended badly. She just couldn't find anyone like him, anyone as good as him, anyone who understood her like he did. She mentally shook herself. Of course he moved on. They hadn't seen each other in three years, let alone dated. What right did she have to be jealous of this girl? With that in mind, Claire smiled at the girl and extended her hand to her.

"Nice to meet you," she said. "I'm an old friend of West's from high school and Lily's dorm mate. I'm new here."

Jane smiled back and ignored the extended hand, hugging her instead. "Well then welcome to Duke University!" she said happily, sitting down at the table with them, giving West a peck on the cheek.

_Why does she have to be so nice?_ Claire thought. _It would be so much easier to hate her and want to break them up if she wasn't._

Lily looked between the two girls and thought quietly to herself. She was going to have to have a talk with Claire if she was reading her expressing correctly. They had to talk about her past relationship with West, among other things of course.

The rest of the day flew by, the four of them spending more time together before breaking apart to attend separate classes. Claire found herself beginning to like Jane. _If she wasn't going out with West, we could even be friends_, she found herself thinking.

Later that night when they were alone in their dorm, Lily turned to Claire and thought that now would be as good a time as any to talk about things.

"So," she began, sitting on her bed and looking across at Claire who was sitting on hers, "What's the deal with you and West?"

Claire looked at her and smiled. "I'll tell you but then you have to answer my questions about West's alien comments. Deal?" she asked a smile on her face.

"Gladly."

"Okay. It all started three years ago. I had just moved to Costa Verdae from Odessa and I met West at our high school. He was different and kept… pestering me I guess you could say, until I went out with him. Though I've got to say, I had to endure a lot of teasing first." She said, smiling as memories flashed through her head. "I've never had more in common with anyone before, liked someone so much before. I don't really know how to describe it…" she paused for a moment, thinking how much she could really tell Lily without giving away her ability. "There was just a connection I guess. Seeing West again today just brought it all back."

"I see… I have a feeling you're not telling me everything but I'll let it go for now, I think I already know what it is." She said, a smile on her face. "And I take it that you're not too pleased with West going out with Jane?"

Claire had looked slightly guilty. "No, I'm not. But I don't really have a right to think like that."

"Oh, yes you do. You have more of a right then you think you do." She said with a knowing smiled. "But all will be revealed," she said in a mock mysterious voice, adding hand movements for affect. Claire laughed at her.

"Now you have to answer my question. What did West mean about the aliens?"

"That's easy; I have an ability, too. West told me he had met someone with one before but she just fell off the face of the earth." She said it so carelessly that it took Claire a few minutes to absorb it. At least it had confirmed what she'd expected.

"I thought as much. West used to refer to us lie that when we went to high school together. So what's your power?"

"I can hold go without breathing, I don't need oxygen." She said in all seriousness.

Claire looked at her. _Well, I guess there really are all types of abilities. _She thought. _That's kind of weird. What good is that? Maybe if you needed to go into outer space or something but…_

Lily looked at the look on Claire's face and started to laugh, falling off her bed in the process.

"What's so funny?" Claire asked, really confused now.

"You thought that was actually my ability. I could see it on you face." She said, her grin threatening to split her face in two. "I can't believe I fooled you. My pranks usually never work. OK, I'm being a little weird now so let's back track for a sec. I have the power of invisibility. See? (she turns invisible)"

"Wow. That's wicked! But you said that West mentioned me so that means that you already know that I can-"

"-regenerate, yeah, he told me. He told me a lot about you, actually. After we found out about each other's abilities, we told each other about the other people we met with abilities. He told me _all_ about you. He still mentions you, a _lot_, even though he's dating Jane now. They seem happy enough but I always got this feeling that he never really… I don't know liked her, liked her. Let me rephrase, I _didn't_ know. After today I know that it was because of you. I don't think he ever really got over you. I mean, he talked about you all the time, what you might be doing and everything. He didn't talk about the fact that you had a relationship though I could tell that there was something about you. Every time he mentioned your name he face lit up like a Christmas tree. I figured he just never had the guts to ask you out."

"He didn't mention the fact that we went out?" Claire asked, slightly hurt.

"No, and I know what you're thinking but he really did like you, and still does from what I saw today. Didn't you notice him looking at you today? He stared at you the whole time. Jane's smiled got a little forced after a while. Don't tell me you didn't notice?" she said exasperatedly.

Truth be told, Claire hadn't notice. Well, she thought she had but had eventually convinced herself that it was just her imagination, that he liked Jane instead of her. She told Lily this.

The red-head let out a sigh. "Look, I'm sure he likes Jane but he loves you."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, not 100 but there's definitely something there."

Claire took a deep breath. "I would love it if there were but I can't do anything. Jane's really nice and I don't want to hurt her."

"You'll be hurting her if you don't act on your feelings. She'll be going out with a guy who should really be with someone else."

Claire shook her head. "Can we just drop this for tonight? Talk about something else?"

"Fine, but I'm not done yet… So what abilities do your parents have?"

And like that the topic was diverted, for now at least. The girls talked about their powers, sharing experiences and filling in the gaps of their stories told yesterday, now knowing they could say everything. But as they turned off the lights, Lily lay awake in her bed, listening to Claire's breathing even out. She made a promise to herself that she would do whatever she could to get her two best friends together, no matter how much they resisted. And with that thought, she rolled over and closed her eyes, dreaming of ways to bring them together.

**AN:** So long time no update, I know. I'm really going to need ideas cause my creative juices are not flowing very well. I'm going to need lots of ideas before I update again. Thanks to all who reviewed last time. Please review!!


End file.
